Prominent China rights lawyer could face harsher charges: attorney

November 20, 2014 11:00 AM

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BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese prosecutors could upgrade the charges against a prominent human rights lawyer, saying that he incited "ethnic hatred and discrimination" when he wrote a microblog post criticizing the government's account of a mass knife attack, his lawyer said on Thursday.

The new charges against Pu Zhiqiang add to evidence that the case against him is politically motivated, his supporters say. They come amid what rights groups say is the most severe clampdown on human rights in decades.